In The News

¡Viva el Capitalismo!

Álvaro Vargas Llosa November 20, 2006
In 1986, the Reagan administration secretly sold arms to Iran and used the proceeds to fund rebel fighters in Nicaragua. Twenty years later, Iran defies the US with its pursuit of nuclear weapons – and the Marxist candidate that Reagan opposed, Daniel Ortega, has won his country’s presidency. Ortega is not in the mold of a leftist politician like Hugo Chávez, and he won for two reasons, according...

Managing Globalization: The Trouble with Water

Daniel Altman November 17, 2006
The United Nations Development Program issued a report this month highlighting the growing problem of access to water and sanitation in poor areas of the world. Water is becoming both costlier and more dangerous for those who can afford it least. The UN report made three proposals: first, that access to water is recognized as a human right. Second, that local governments be held accountable...

Last Chance for Bush to Repair Relations With Islamic World

Imam Cahyono November 15, 2006
A trip to Asia leads US President George Bush’s travel agenda after the mid-term election – and gives him a chance to renew US ties with Asia. The invasion of Iraq and the war on terror have distracted US leaders from Asia Pacific affairs and the growing influence of China. US influence in the Asia Pacific region has declined to such a point that many label Bush as a greater threat than tyrant...

Unifying the UN

Shaukat Aziz November 9, 2006
An increasingly interconnected world cannot withstand enormous inequality. An overhaul of the UN system is in order or the international body will be marginalized, warn prime ministers from Pakistan, Mozambique and Norway, who were charged by the UN secretary general to offer recommendations on improving policies in three key areas: sustainable development, response to world crises and...

Democratic Resurgence in Washington Is No Cause for Celebration

November 9, 2006
Democrats snatched control of the US Congress from Republicans, the party of President George Bush – and many in the international community, particularly those who opposed the war in Iraq, celebrate new checks on his power, anticipating new solutions to a range of crises around the globe. But observers in the Middle East have reasons for wariness, suggests this editorial from “The Daily Star”...

A Loud Message for Bush

Robin Toner November 8, 2006
Voters in the US soundly rejected policies of the Bush administration and the Republican Party by giving Democrats a secure majority in the House of Representatives and possibly even a slim majority in the Senate. All 435 members of the House ran for reelection and 33 of the 100 senators. The race in Virginia, too close to call, will determine which party controls the Senate. The shift in power...

Dispute Over NW Passage Revived

Doug Struck November 8, 2006
As the Arctic melts and expands the Northwest Passage, Canada claims sole jurisdiction of the waterway and the US labels it an international passage with free access for all. Canada prefers greater control over the passage to limit environmental or shipping problems – and even a former US ambassador to Canada agrees that stricter Canadian controls would be in the US interest. If foreign ships...